Emergency Preparedness

1.   Facilitate a discussion on previous international travel.  Begin by asking students if they have ever encountered a crisis while traveling, how they responded and what, in retrospect, they might have done differently. Ask students what kinds of risks are associated while traveling abroad, specifically on short-term education abroad travel, and what unique health and safety factors are associated with international travel.  Introduce the goals of the activity and the process through which the class will develop a program-specific, emergency response plan.

2.   Form three groups.  Each group will be responsible for researching one broad issue related to health and safety while traveling abroad and preparing a key section of the final emergency response plan. Topics include, 1.) Crime, Safety & Health, 2.) Geography, and 3.) Communication and Emergency Response.  If the class enrollment is large, a fourth group may focus on precautions to avoid being subject to anti-American threats while abroad.  Partial class time should be allotted for group research.

3.   Class presentations.  Each group should present their findings and seek class and professor input and feedback.  Within one week of class presentations, each group should submit their section for the final emergency response plan.  The course professor should merge these sections, making edits as needed, and produce a hard-copy for each student.  The document could be supplemented with a class roster, travel itinerary, etc.

4.   Facilitate small group discussions of potential emergency scenarios.   In small groups, not necessarily the research groups, have students refer to the emergency response plan and other travel documents (i.e., health insurance plan, etc) to brainstorm appropriate responses to potential emergency scenarios (i.e., local unrest, health emergency, incapacitated faculty leader, etc.).